Darlington prez confident track will make it to 2008
DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) -- The latest sign that Darlington Raceway could be around for a while was a, well, sign.
Only steps from the entrance of the track "Too Tough To Tame," a billboard proclaimed, "New Asphalt, Same Attitude," and included the race dates of May 9-11, 2008. It also included information about where fans could make deposits to purchase tickets for a Nextel Cup race a year from now.
Darlington president Chris Browning hasn't gotten the official word from NASCAR about the track's place next season. But felt confident enough with conversations and actions from International Speedway Corp., that Darlington would make it to 2008.
"The talks with everyone we have have been positive about where we're headed," Browning said.
ISC recently granted Darlington in excess of $10 million for several projects, including paving the raceway surface. That begins June 17.
Add in lighting project in 2004, the construction of 6,300-seat Brasington Tower in 2006 and SAFER barriers for the walls and Darlington will have made around $20 million worth of improvements the past few years.
It wasn't so long ago that Darlington was closer to extinction than NASCAR's schedule. No less than chairman Bill France Jr. called out the track, saying it would see changes when NASCAR realigned its schedule.
Things did change. Darlington lost its longtime signature event, the Southern 500 to California Speedway. It lost its second date to Phoenix International Raceway. Beginning in 2005, its lone NASCAR date was Mother's Day weekend.
But Saturday night was Darlington's third straight sellout. Couple that with the improvements "and we thought it was OK to put up the billboard," Browning said.
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DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) -- The latest sign that Darlington Raceway could be around for a while was a, well, sign.
Only steps from the entrance of the track "Too Tough To Tame," a billboard proclaimed, "New Asphalt, Same Attitude," and included the race dates of May 9-11, 2008. It also included information about where fans could make deposits to purchase tickets for a Nextel Cup race a year from now.
Darlington president Chris Browning hasn't gotten the official word from NASCAR about the track's place next season. But felt confident enough with conversations and actions from International Speedway Corp., that Darlington would make it to 2008.
"The talks with everyone we have have been positive about where we're headed," Browning said.
ISC recently granted Darlington in excess of $10 million for several projects, including paving the raceway surface. That begins June 17.
Add in lighting project in 2004, the construction of 6,300-seat Brasington Tower in 2006 and SAFER barriers for the walls and Darlington will have made around $20 million worth of improvements the past few years.
It wasn't so long ago that Darlington was closer to extinction than NASCAR's schedule. No less than chairman Bill France Jr. called out the track, saying it would see changes when NASCAR realigned its schedule.
Things did change. Darlington lost its longtime signature event, the Southern 500 to California Speedway. It lost its second date to Phoenix International Raceway. Beginning in 2005, its lone NASCAR date was Mother's Day weekend.
But Saturday night was Darlington's third straight sellout. Couple that with the improvements "and we thought it was OK to put up the billboard," Browning said.
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